Much as I love the bridge as a visual experience, it has some problems.

- To get from the captain's chair to the elevator, Kirk had to take two steps down, turn 180 degrees, and then take two steps right back up again, and squeeze between the chair and the red railing. (The gap varies between episodes as the captain's chair was moved forward or back to accomodate a scene.) Or he could go the long way to the port-side bridge steps and double back for the whole distance to the elevator.

It is not any easier to get to the main turbolift on TNG's Enterprise. First, the entire rear of the command chairs are blocked by the cresent-shaped, elevated security station. This means Riker, Picard and Troi had to--as seen dozens of times--get up, walk forward, turn to walk up a ramp outside of the security section just to get to the turbolift. Not exactly a functional layout.

A bridge furnished like a living room is more impractical than the TOS bridge.

It famously lacked an emergency exit, but Franz Joseph showed how easy it would be to have a wall panel that opens so I don't consider that a big design issue.

At least TAS added a second lift--predating FZ's additions.

__________________
"...to be like God, you have the power to make the world anything you want it to be."